WATKINS GLEN, NY – Young Jacob Ruud was back in victory lane Sunday at the legendary Watkin Glen International road circuit after scoring his eighth 2021 TCX Class race win in the No. 81 Light Speed/Fast Track Racing BMW M2 Cup car for Classic BMW.
Ruud, the 21-year-old college student at nearby Rochester Institute of Technology, recorded another impressive win in the all-new TCX division for the TC America competition and expanded his large point lead with four races remaining the 2021 sports car campaign.
Ruud looked to be on his way to a dominating win Saturday with his No. 81 BMW M2 when his mount collected some debris from other cars’ crashes. The result was a rear tire puncture and Jacob’s car limped to a fourth-place finish.
But Sunday’s 40-minute sprint contest was an all-Ruud affair with an eighth win in ten races this year. Starting from the pole, Jacob had to fight off a challenge from veteran Steve Steimer, also in a BMW M2 Cup machine. Despite some yellow flag periods, Ruud’s restart was clean and smooth with the youngster showing another winning form.
“We had a bad break on Saturday as the car was so good and then I hit some debris off some crashed cars,” said Ruud. “I came through the scene and clipped some stuff on the track. Just bad timing for that one and it cost us a win. But, on Sunday, the Fast Track Racing crew had the car working very well and it was fun to win again. Now we’ll head to another famous track in Sebring, and I have never raced there before. But I’m practicing a lot of laps on my simulator to get the corners down before that race.”
The next TC America doubleheader weekend is scheduled for Oct. 1-3 at the famed Sebring International Raceway for Round 11-12 for the TCX Class two 40-minute main events.